Henry here with a guest post. I am sitting on the doggie futon in this picture.

Here I am playing with a Halloween toy, doesn’t the futon look okay?

Well Mom caught me pulling some stuffing from the doggie futon.

She said I was a warui kozo, a bad stinker or brat. I tried to tell her that the Futon Yokai was possessing me but she would have none of it.

The Futon Yokai is incredibly clever. It has possession of the doggie futon and is enjoying tormenting me. You would think it would want to protect itself. But no, it is also a warui kozo and even if I shred the doggie futon to oblivion and it loses its home it is happy if it gets me in trouble.

Takayama, Japan has been Denver’s Sister City Takayama since 1960. The Takayama Women’s Chorale is singing at Simpson United Methodist Church Friday, August 11, 2017 at 4:30 pm. The Chorale will be performing traditional Japanese songs. The performance is free. For more information please contact Kaitlyn Lyle at 303.923.6865. Simpson is located at 6001 Wolff Street in Arvada. Want to learn about Takayama? Visit the city’s website here: City of Takayama website (English version): http://www.hida.jp/english/

This old clock has been with my boss forever. He keeps it in his office sandwiched between some law books. The thing must be wound by hand each day with a key, a ritual much beloved by an attorney.

I believe this thing is a Tsukumogami in the making. An object biding its time to reach one hundred years of age, at which time it will become occupied by a spirit. This clock is specifically a Zorigami Yokai, clock spirit.

It has begun to flex its powers by subtly controlling time. Have a deadline? Speeds time up. Friday afternoons creep by.

How is this happening when it is clearly not one hundred years old? The one hundred years is just a legend. Any old object can become Yokai, or obtain a spirit, just by virtue of it’s old age.

This old clock is quickly gaining the ability to have a spirit because it is used and touched by human hands each day when my boss lovingly winds it. In return, if my boss is racing a deadline, this clock has stopped time to allow him to complete his task.

Ever feel uneasy about an old thing and just need to throw it out or give it away? Trust your intuition on this…